When my children were little, they often sang the well-known American patriotic song and nursery rhyme, Yankee Doodle. You know, the one where Yankee Doodle rides to town on a pony, puts a feather in his cap and calls it macaroni.
Wait, he put macaroni on his hat? Why would he do that? The truth is he never put the pasta shape macaroni on his hat. So, why macaroni in the song?
According to historians, macaroni in Yankee Doodle does not refer to the pasta used in the cheesy pasta dish that almost everyone, especially kids, loves. Instead, it refers to an elaborate short-lived fashion trend in England at the end of the 18th century. It started when wealthy, upper-class young men returned from their Grand Tours of mainland Europe with a love for the luxurious fabrics of the French and the exotic pasta dishes of the Italians.
So to be “macaroni” was to be sophisticated, upper class and worldly. The song Yankee Doodle (doodle was another term for simpleton) was actually used to mock the rough and unsophisticated men fighting in the American Revolution. To the British, Yankee Doodle was a poor American solder who was trying to be sophisticated like them by putting a feather in his cap.
The Americans weren’t a bit insulted by the song, and starting singing it as a patriotic song. And we all know how the American Revolution turned out. Oh, and by the way, the word dude is derived from doodle.
But back to macaroni. Macaroni is actually from the Italian term maccheroni, a short, straight, usually ribbed, tubelike pasta which is larger than the smooth and curly macaroni you find at your supermarket. If you looked for American macaroni in Italy you would look for pipette pasta.
American macaroni and cheese doesn’t exist in Italy. Instead maccheroni can be combined with layers of tomato sauce, meatballs, Italian cheeses, sometimes hard-cooked eggs and baked, as in Maccheroni al Forno. Maccheroni is also used in a dessert dish similar to rice pudding, but using the pasta instead of rice.
Some researchers believe that macaroni and cheese was inspired by Italian dishes made with penne and various grated Italian cheeses. A famous Italian food historian found a recipe in a 13th century Italian cookbook calling for sheets of pasta squares boiled in water and tossed with grated cheese, probably Parmesan.
Historians have often credited Thomas Jefferson with popularizing macaroni and cheese in America since he served the dish (perfected by his Black chef James Hemmings) at many presidential dinners. But it actually was James’ brother Peter who served a “pie called macaroni” at a White House dinner hosted by Jefferson.
And then there is that famous blue box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, which was introduced in 1937 at the end of the Great Depression. It’s said they sold over 8 million boxes that year. Today, they sell over one million boxes a day!
You can find two authentic “macaroni” recipes on my website: www.joestablefortwo.com One is for the Roman dish, Sweet Macaroni with Cheese, and the other is Timbale of Macaroni and Eggplants from Calabria, which is included here. And although they call for macaroni, Italian cooks would have used maccheroni.
Buon Appetito!
Timbale of Macaroni and Eggplants (Calabria)
- 2 pounds ripe tomatoes
- 6 to 8 eggplants
- Olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- Salt and pepper
- 4 cups macaroni
- ¾ cup grated pecorino cheese
- 3 to 4 sprigs basil, finely chopped
Peel and chop the tomatoes; reserve the juice but discard the seeds. Set aside.
Peel the eggplants and slice them lengthwise into fairly thin slices. Fry them, a few at a time, in plenty of hot oil until well-browned and drain on paper towels. Keep warm.
Pour off most of the oil in the pan, leaving only about a cupful and sauté the garlic cloves until brown. Discard them; then add the tomatoes and stir well. Pour tomato juice over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook quickly for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and cook the macaroni until tender and firm. Drain and mix with half the tomato sauce.
Brush a deep earthenware baking dish with oil. Cover the bottom with a layer of macaroni, followed by one of the eggplants and sprinkle generously with grated pecorino and a little basil. Continue in this manner until all the ingredients are used up, finishing with a layer of eggplants, which should completely cover the top. Spread with the rest of the tomato sauce and sprinkle with cheese and a little olive oil.
Bake in a hot oven (450F) for 15 minutes to allow the ingredients to absorb the mixed flavors and to become very hot. Serve immediately.
Serves 6
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Joe’s Table for Two radio show airs Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on WOND 1400 AM. Website: joestablefortwo.com. Facebook: Joe’s Table for 2. Contact Joe: joestablefortwo@gmail.com.
